How I Earned Six Certifications in 2025 (Part 1)

In November 2025 I earned the Huawei HCIE‑AI (Huawei ICT Expert – Artificial Intelligence) certificate, marking the first of six credentials obtained that year.

In March 2025 I passed the Alibaba Cloud ACP (Advanced Cloud Computing Engineer) exam after writing a blog post to motivate myself; the certification covers a broad range of Alibaba Cloud products such as ECS, SLB, OSS, VPC, Auto Scaling, CDN, and CloudShield, and validates the ability to diagnose and resolve common issues in cloud‑based systems.

In May 2025, during a break from preparing for the soft‑exam, I obtained the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s senior‑level AI Application Engineer qualification, which focuses on practical AI deployment.

When preparing for the Huawei certifications, I also received three Huawei micro‑certifications that accompany the main exam. These lightweight, internet‑based credentials target emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, IoT, and blockchain, offering scenario‑driven learning paths. Although they are less rigorous than full professional certifications, I included them to enrich the blog post.

My motivation for this relentless certification schedule stemmed from a desire to compensate for a late start in the technical field and to strengthen my professional credentials. In China’s technology‑focused industries, certificates serve as official proof of knowledge and skill, influencing title evaluations, promotion decisions, and salary negotiations, while the preparation process itself sharpens expertise.

The study process proved far tougher than expected. The ACP exam emphasizes cloud computing, requiring familiarity with Alibaba Cloud’s core services and the ability to troubleshoot complex cloud architectures. The HCIA‑AI track covers foundational AI concepts, machine learning, deep learning, Huawei Ascend AI hardware, and full‑stack AI strategies, aligning with my career goals within Huawei’s ecosystem.

My preparation relied mainly on video lectures, official documentation, remote discussions, WeChat group consultations, and extensive practice questions. Consistently following these steps made passing achievable, but it demanded a lifestyle of work and study without entertainment, social interaction, or family time.

Looking ahead, I will continue sharing the remaining three certificates in the next installment, titled “My 2025 Journey to Six Certifications (Part 2) – The Biggest Regret of 2025.”